Search This Blog

Following Tracy Thelen's journey exploring the limits, pushing the boundaries and testing her endurance. It's about seeking out new adventures on the trail and reaching into the unknown, not just stopping at edge!

Subscribe to this blog

Follow by Email

Gunnison goings on

What's a really good way to get into a fight with your significant other? Make me drive the van on narrow, rocky dirt roads! Okay, only slightly joking - but me and the van do not get along well. At the Growler, with Nick racing Saturday and me racing Sunday we will be out on course to support each other. Last year was easy - I could just drive out to the end of Gold Basin road and wait till Nick came along. It was far enough into the race but not too far - I could give Nick his pack and call it a day. Not so this year. Going counterclockwise means no easy place to get support. And getting off the blacktop! Yikes. Nick drove out to where we wanted to make the exchanges, but the it was my turn. Not only did I have to drive the van, but he wanted me to turn around, back up and get parked in a few places safety. I can do most of that on blacktop - but something about the dirt just freaks me out. And my driving on the dirt was freaking Nick out. He made me drive all the way back down to base area - I think I was doing about 8 mph the whole way back. There's a lot to think about with a vehicle that size - and I am so not used to driving it. I think I could have walked down Kill Hill faster then I drove down it! But I survived and think I can manage the van come Satuday of the Growler.

After creeping down to the base area, it was time for dinner. And I needed a drink after driving the van! Instead of hitting our normal steak dinner at Ol' Miner - we went to KOA Dave's new restaurant on the western edge of town. Double Dave's Steakhouse - and it was worth it. It was really delicious and a great atmosphere. Nick had no problems with the food and we didn't even have to quiz them about ingredients. We were lucky to have live music as well during dinner, which was even better. We will definitely be heading over there from now on.

Friday night we stayed at Hartman's - found a quiet campsite when we drove in and just parked. It wasn't quite as quiet on Saturday with lots of motos and mountain bikes riding by. And dusy. It's very dry up there right now, despite the recent snow. So every time someone went by, we got coated in dust. It was an easy choice once we found out that the KOA was open - after a few hours on the bike and all the dust, a shower sounded really nice. And no parties - there were plenty of people up on the rocks getting ready for late night shenanigans. We didn't have to deal with any of them and got a great nights sleep.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

And I'm not talking about the BBQ - we never even got a chance to taste real KC barbeque! No, I'm talking about the trails that we got to ride in the KC area, Lee's Summit to be accurate. As part of our Midwest circle tour, we stopped in KC to visit Cam and Amber. It's been a few years since they moved out of COS and we miss having them around! So it was really nice see them both and hang out for a while.

Wednesday, we skirted traffic in KC to meet Cam and his Dad for the Lee's Summit Trek Store shop ride. The planned ride was changing a little due to rain the day before, so we all met at Cam's house and headed south. I think it was the Blue River park system - not entirely sure. I do know that if we hadn't had Cam and his dad leading the way, I would have gotten completely lost. If you're like me and currently thinking "Riding in KC? No way!" Trust me. Not only was there riding there, but it was fantastic. The kind of riding both Nick and I …

As athletes, we sometimes get caught up in the more then only human mind-set. We are stronger, more healthy and more resistant to things. That's true, to a point. It's also hard to determine when you've pushed past that point until it's too late. Sometimes it's there's a clear line, like an injury - but with most cases it's a gradual build of just not feeling "right."

I'm as bad as the rest of them - both in feeling invincible to illness or injury and then ignoring that something has been holding me back. Back over Christmas Break, I got something - the crud that was floating around. Started out with three days of just miserable sore throat, so bad I couldn't even sleep because any kind of swallowing was pain. The sore throat turned into fatigue and congestion, which turned into severe congestion, unending coughing and fever. I of course ignored all of that, even after spending an entire night awake coughing up crap. I would take a few day…

Detroit Mountain Recreation Area - where Nick went skiing occasional as a kid. Now, they call it a mountain, but as a Coloradan I had to laugh when we drove up and saw the lifts. I'm sure they have some decent skiing in the winter, it's hardly a mountain. It might qualify as a bunny slope where I started skiing! But that's beside the point. This is not a story about how little the hill was, but how big the hill is hoping to become.

There is more then meets the eye at DMRA. Yes, the first thing you see when you drive up is the lodge and the most adorable little ski hill with the classic singletrack ascent winding through the tall grass under the lifts. But when you get the map of the area, there's easily as much riding per acre of mountain as any of the big resorts in Colorado. Might not all be black diamond gnarly descending, but there are plenty of miles of trail for the size of the resort. They call it the XC system and it's really well built. There's two dif…

Text and Image Copyright

The text and images in this blog are the sole property of Tracy Thelen. Any use of these images or text without the express written permission of Tracy Thelen is strictly forbidden. You do not have permission to use any text or images without written permission.

Disclaimer

The companies listed on the Sponsor page provide discounted product to use and I routinely review and endorse these products here. This product is usually kept and used throughout the year, which might be considered a form of compensation for any such review or endorsement set forth herein, but this form of payment does not color any reviews or endorsements of the products. All of the opinions expressed on my website are personal opinions based on actual use of the Sponsor products.

After focusing on marathons for many years (including a near miss at the 2004 Olympic Trials qualifying time and finishing up 50 and DC) I branched out into triathlons. Ended up deciding I liked playing in the dirt more then dealing with cars. After a few years as a committed member of the Xterra tribe, I realized I liked going long and riding my bike more. I also got to spend more time exploring when I was on my bike! The challenge of Duo 24 hour racing and ultra endurance mountain biking fit in perfectly with the lifestyle Nick and I want. We ride our bikes because we love to and the ability to race is a bonus! With that said, the emphaisis is on the adventures, not the data of riding.